


Status Change

by swanqueenfic13



Series: Little Luthor [3]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Kara teaches preschool, Kid Fic, Lena is in love, Nepotism, but its okay, everyone's a little ooc, i added susan vasquez, just for fun, potential nepotism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-14
Updated: 2017-01-14
Packaged: 2018-09-17 10:45:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9320204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/swanqueenfic13/pseuds/swanqueenfic13
Summary: As Lena and Kara grow closer, Kara worries about favoring Lydia at school.Big thanks to Eloquentdrivil and Katya_D_R_Rarewyne for the ideas!





	

They’ve been going out for a month when Kara asks.

“What… Lena, am I your girlfriend?” Kara finally says, a sudden surge of confidence fading quickly when Lena’s eyes widen and her body stiffens. They’d been relaxing at the park while Lydia played nearby. Lena was doing paperwork and looking over some very science-y papers while Kara had been pretending to plan lessons for next month while gathering the courage to ask. When Lena still hadn’t answered, Kara began to babble to fill the silence.

“I mean, we don’t have to be. It’s just… We’ve been on a few dates and- they were good dates, right? I had fun, you seemed to have fun. And we- we- I mean, I’ve met your kid. As- as your date. I just… If you’re not ready for the g-word- like, being girlfriends, I mean- I understand. This is totally your decision! Actually, maybe it’s too early for that. Maybe we can- we could pretend I never said anything! That’s a good idea-”

“Kara,” Lena interrupts her. Immediately, Kara’s mouth snaps shut and she bites her lip, fiddling nervously with her glasses. “I would love to be your girlfriend, if you’d let me,” Lena whispers with a smile.

“Well, yeah! I’d love- really, really like that!” Kara giggles. She leans in, resting one hand on Lena’s cheek before pausing. “Can I- can I kiss you right now? I know we’re at the park and with your daughter and everything and I just-”

“Kara,” Lena laughs again. Because of course, Kara will manage to ramble while inches away from kissing her. “Yes, you may kiss me.”

They’re still kissing when Lydia comes skipping over, her long dark braids swinging.

“Mommy, why are you kissin’ Miss Kawa?” Lena just pulled back, chuckling to explain how she and Kara were girlfriends now and sometimes girlfriends kissed. Kara, meanwhile, just blushed and nodded along with her _girlfriend_.

 

By the next week, Kara was called into a meeting with her boss, Susan.

“Is- did I do something wrong? You don’t- you don’t usually have these intense one-on-one meetings unless you’re firing someone. Oh God! Are you firing me?” Kara stammers as soon as the door to Susan Vasquez- the owner and effective ‘principal’ of the Sunny Start Preschool. She looked like a stern woman. She was short with tan skin and dark hair pulled back into a low, neat bun. Susan had mastered ‘the look’ that could make a kid stop whatever they were doing before they even did it. Kara was now facing that look and faring no better than the three-year-olds.

“Are you dating Lydia Luthor’s mother?” Susan asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Uh, yeah- yep.” Kara sits in the chair opposite Susan’s desk when her boss points her pen there. She’s not quite sure where this meeting is going so she just… sits and waits. Because Susan Vasquez never beat around the bush. She got straight to the point.

“Apparently, Lydia told another little kid who told his mother. She came in, worried about preferential treatment. I know it’s not the same as a regular school teacher since we don’t do tests or grades or anything. However, we do have to be conscious of these things.” Susan nods decisively.

“I-I don’t favor her! I work really hard… to keep my personal life, and my personal relationships… I try to keep them _separate_ from my work life. I won’t- I’ll be careful, I guess. I’ll make sure not to favor her, of course,” Kara assures Susan. She’s not certain how she’ll do that. But she can figure this out. She can. “I can treat her exactly like any other student, I promise.” She stands up to leave.

“Oh, and Kara?” Susan calls. Kara turns, smiling at her boss, eyebrow quirked in a silent question. “Congrats on you and Miss Luthor. You may be… made of sunshine but for a while now you’ve seemed… happier. I’m glad she can do that for you.”

“Thanks, Susan.” Kara beams and all but skips back out the door and into her friend’s car. Already she’s making a plan for how to be normal with Lydia. She can do this. She can.

 

The next day on the playground during recess, Kara gets a chance to test herself and her newfound dedication to treating Lydia equally.

There’s always fights on the playground. There are only so many swings and so many balls and everybody wants a turn. Some of the shovels in the sandbox are better than others and someone isn't sharing. Maybe someone got in the way or got elbowed during a game of tag. Almost every day, Kara and the other teachers have to peel apart two kids who are screaming and crying, sometimes comforting one and disciplining the other (though most often both are being disciplined as they were both involved in the altercation). Kara is used to being the comforter rather than the punisher- it’s easier and she’s much better at it. But sometimes, she also has to discipline. It’s not easy, but she can do it. And today, she has to do it for Lydia.

“Hey, hey, hey,” Julie says, pulling Emily Collins and Lydia apart. The girls were both screaming, both crying and both pulling hair and scratching and punching underneath the slide. Julie waved over Kara who grabbed the closer child- Lydia.

“What is happening here?” Kara asks, stern but not unkind. Immediately both girls start blubbering and crying and shouting out explanations. “One at a time- you know what? Julie, you take Emily over there for a minute.”

“Kawa, she’s- she’s a _meanie_ ,” Lydia whimpers. Kara kneels down on the ground, rubbing slow circles on her back to help her calm down.

“Lydia, what happened?” she asks again. Lydia hiccups and rubs at her eyes.

“I just wanted- I wanted to diggers. In-in the sandbox! I wanted the diggers but she had ‘em and she wouldn’t share!” Lydia stomps her foot. “So I waited for my turn but she wouldn’t share, so I grabbed it and then she grabbed my hair and she pinched my arm so I hit her back!”

“So you grabbed instead of waiting your turn or getting a teacher and then you hit your friend?” Kara clarifies. Shyly, Lydia nods. Kara doesn’t want to punish her. She wants to hug her and tell her it’ll be okay, that she did something wrong but she’s not in any real trouble. But she can’t because that would be _preferential treatment._ “Lydia, that was wrong. Do you know why?”

“Nuh-uh,” Lydia mumbles, not looking at Kara. Satisfied that she’s no longer crying, Kara takes a step back and levels Lydia with her best ‘teacher face’ and raises one eyebrow. It works and Lydia starts squirming. “Is it ‘cause I grabbed?”

“Yes, it is. And because you hit her-”

“But she hit me first!” Lydia interrupts, stomping her foot.

“Lydia, please lower your voice. I don’t like it when you shout like that.” If physically pains Kara when Lydia pouts but she continues. “If someone is not sharing, should you grab or should you come get a teacher?”

“Get a teacher,” Lydia whines. Tears are threatening to spill out again but Kara is pretty certain these are because Lydia doesn’t want to get in trouble, not out of pain.

“So why did you grab?”

“‘Cuz I _wanted the diggers_ ,” Lydia sighs. She pauses, bites her lip. “You gonna tell my mommy?”

“I am,” Kara nods. “Because she needs to know. And you are going to apologize to Emily for hitting her and taking her toy. And since you girls were fighting over the diggers, they’re going away. And Lydia, you will not be playing in the sandbox for the rest of the week. Do you understand?”

“That’s not fair!”

“Oh, I think it’s very fair. Now, come on, you’re going to apologize.” Kara stood up and put one hand on Lydia’s back, just between her shoulder blades to gently lead her towards Emily. Julie was also leading the girl over.

“I’m sorry for not sharing, Lydia. And for pinching and hurting you. It wasn’t nice,” Emily sniffles after Julie gives her a pointed look. Lydia pouts, kicks at a clump of dirt on the ground and crosses her arms over her chest.

“Lydia,” Kara prompts.

“Sorry for grabbing,” she grunts.

“‘S okay,” Emily smiles before skipping away.

“You can go play now, Lydia. Just not in the sandbox,” Kara reminds her. Julie walks off to go keep patrolling the playground and Lydia turns to look up at Kara, jaw set and _glaring_. Kara is reminded of the Lena Luthor who she sees on the news. She’s angry and Kara is about to ask what’s wrong when she speaks.

“You’re a meanie, Miss Kawa. You’re a meanie and I _hate you_. And I’m tellin’ my mommy not to kiss you anymore ‘cause you’re yucky and mean!” She storms off in all of her three-year-old rage before Kara can think to respond. She knows Lydia’s just a kid and she knows she doesn’t fully understand what she’s saying and Rao knows Kara has had plenty of kids say they hate her but it still stings.

 

“Julie, what do I do? I have to talk to her, right? Let her know that it’s not okay?” It was naptime now and Kara was whispering with Julie while they ate their lunches and watched the kids sleep (now that Lydia had started bringing Chewy, she fell fast asleep).

“Before we go back to circle time, pull Lydia aside. Tell her that what she said hurt your feelings and then ask for an apology. But you _definitely_ have to tell Lena when she picks her up- but tell her as a teacher. Then, later, you can talk to her as her girlfriend and work with Lena and Lydia to figure out… where you guys stand. But for the record, Kara, I have never seen you favor her.” Kara smiles. She and Julie might not hang out a lot after work, but she certainly loved conversations like these. They kept her grounded, made work more enjoyable.

“You think so?” Kara smiles.

“I know so,” Julie confirms. “You are… Kara, you’re the good cop. You are soft and squishy and caring with all of the kids. You’re careful not to be too informal- or too formal. You care, and I know you care differently about her because she’s your girlfriend’s kid but you don’t show it differently, at least not here. So relax, take a breath. If you ever do start to treat her differently- which I doubt you will because you’re good at your job- someone here will tell you before it becomes an issue. I promise.”

“Thank you, Julie,” Kara exhales. Julie just smiles and rolls her eyes before nudging Kara.

“C’mon, Kara. No one here believes you’d give special treatment but when some yuppy parent complains that their kid might not be getting as much attention and help to learn about colors and shapes, we gotta respond. It’s fine. Now eat quick, before I eat your lunch,” Julie teases. Kara playfully guards her food and they fall back into silence while they watch the kids.

 

Kara volunteers to do sign-outs that day so that she can have a chance to talk to Lena alone- as a teacher- before she gets Lydia. It’s nerve-wracking when she hears Lena’s car pull up and she has to sit on her hands to avoid fidgeting. Lena absolutely beams when she notices her girlfriend sitting at the front desk, though she also noticed how Kara was swaying slightly, shifting in her seat. She waits for Kara to speak first (outside of their normal pleasantries), showing Kara her license and signing the paper.

“So, um, Lena, we did have a little issue today with- with Lydia,” Kara stammers. She stands to talk to Lena and adjusts her glasses nervously. “We- um, I mean, it was recess. And we found Lydia and another little girl physically fighting, so we separated them. Neither was hurt! But, uh, it appears Lydia started the fight. She… She grabbed a sand toy from the other girl because she wasn’t sharing and then the other girl grabbed her hair and pinched so Lena hit and they started scratching and pinching and hitting each other.”

“Oh, no,” Lena murmurs. “Is the other girl-”

“No one was hurt,” Kara promised. “We made both girls apologize and neither can play in the sandbox for the rest of the week.”

“I think that’s fair. And I promise Lydia and I will have a long discussion about sharing,” Lena said earnestly.

“Right, but, uh, there’s a bit more. See, I was… My boss- I mean… A parent talked to my boss. I guess… Y’know, kids talk and they found out we’re- you and I are dating.” Kara chuckles awkwardly and rubs at the back of her neck.

“Mhmm,” Lena nods, shifting as she waits for Kara to continue. She vaguely recognizes the sounds of someone else arriving and wants Kara to finish before they come.

“So, uh, they were worried about me being preferential to her and- I told them I wasn’t! So, I was being really conscious of trying to treat Lydia like a regular kid but when I told her no more sandbox, she said it was unfair and that she hates me because I’m mean and she doesn’t want you to date me anymore,” Kara finishes quickly.

“Oh, no, Kara,” Lena gasps. “I- Can we… talk more about this? Later, when you’re not…” Lena gestures around to the room and Kara nods eagerly.

“Yeah, maybe I can come by tomorrow or-”

“I was hoping tonight?” Lena winces slightly as she asks.

“I can do tonight,” Kara nods. Then Luke Almeida's mom arrives and Kara is sending Lena back to get her daughter and Kara is signing out the next child. When Lena and Lydia come back out a few minutes later, Lydia is sniffling and holding her mom’s hand. She pauses at the desk and looks up at Kara.

“Miss Kawa?” she sniffs. Kara leans down to talk to her.

“Yes, Lydia?”

“I… I sowwy I hurted your feelings and called you a meanie. I… I was cranky and sad,” she whimpers. “Can you f-f-f- Mommy, wha’s the word?”

“Forgive. Lydia is asking if you can forgive her,” Lena clarifies.

“Yes, I can. Because I know that you’re sorry, right?”

“Uh-huh.” Lydia nods and leans in to hug Kara’s leg. Kara smiles and rubs her back reassuringly.

“Okay, peanut. We gotta get home now so we can talk about today, right?”

“Uh-huh,” Lydia whines before pulling away from Kara. “Bye, Miss Kawa.”

“Bye Lydia,” Kara smiles.

“I’ll text you when to come over?” Lena whispers. Kara nods and smiles as Lena leads Lydia out to her car.

 

It’s nearly seven, after dinner time when Kara finally arrives at Lena’s apartment.

“Hi, dear,” Lena smiles, kissing Kara in greeting. As Kara enters, she sees Lydia sitting at the table, hair still dripping and wearing pajamas. Her thumb is in her mouth and her stuffed animal is tucked into the crook of her arm as she colors with her free hand.

“Hey, munchkin!” Kara smiles, ruffling her hair. Lydia just smiled, waving slightly before going back to her coloring.

“Remember, little bug, when the big hand is on the six it will be time to go to bed,” Lena says. Lydia nods and Lena leads Kara into the living room where they’re more comfortable and more private, but Lena carefully seats herself so she can still see Lydia. “So,” Lena says softly, smiling at Kara, “let’s talk.”

And they do talk. They talk a lot about how Kara is worried about giving Lydia special treatment. They talk about how scared Lena is to involve someone else in her daughter’s life. They talk until it’s time for Lydia to go to bed and Kara waits, fiddling with her phone until Lena finishes singing her a lullaby and reading her a story. After a while, Lena returns and they talk some more.

“I just don’t… I really like you, Lena. And I know it’s only been a little over a month and it’s complicated because you’ve got a daughter but… I just… I don’t know,” Kara sighs, running a hand through her hair. Lena nods.

“It’s hard when there’s a child involved,” Lena admits. “It’s hard for anything. You have to be more… more careful with kids. I don’t want to push it on you.”

“No, no, you’re not! I like you, and I like Lydia. I like your little family unit. It’s good, really good. And… I really hope I can be… A… An add-on to the unit? I don’t know. Unit-adjacent?” Kara giggles sleepily.

“I think… that would be nice,” Lena smiles. “And your boss is really okay with this? I know it’s a weird situation: me being a client, I guess? I just really don’t want to get you in trouble.”

“I’m not! Susan just has to make me aware so I’m careful. And my co-teachers have agreed to help out and make sure I’m not treating Lydia any differently. It won’t be easy. It might confuse Lydia, especially if I start spending more t-time with you guys, like, outside of school? I just don’t wanna confuse her about where the lines are,” Kara laments. They’ve been talking in circles for the past two hours.

“How about…” Lena drawls, stifling a yawn. “I say we… agree to figure it out as we go. Parenting is a lot of trial and error, Kara. It takes time and we can plan all we want but it never goes the way we plan.” Lena smiles, remembering some of her disastrous attempts to be the perfect parent. She takes Kara’s hand, playing with her fingers as she leans back into the couch. “All we can do is take it one day at a time.” Kara curls into her.

“One day at a time?”

“Together.” They sit quietly like that for a while, inhaling and exhaling together. They’re tired and content to just lay there wrapped up in each other. But when Kara feels herself starting to fall asleep, she forces herself to stand.

“I should go. No sleepovers yet,” Kara sighs.

“Mmm, you can get home safe?”

“Borrowed my sister’s car. Safer to drive at night,” Kara confirms. Lena follows her to the door, smiling and kissing her goodnight, long and slow and sweet. Kara smiles the entire way home, sure to text Lena to let her know she got home safe.

  
The next day, Lydia plays tag during recess and Kara smiles, happy to praise her for playing nicely today. Lydia just smiles and hugs Kara. Despite any concerns, life goes on at Sunny Start Preschool and all is well.

**Author's Note:**

> Up next: Lena and Lydia head to the children's museum


End file.
